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New Zealand: dairy sector
The purpose of this report is two-fold:
- on the one hand, it describes the products that the industry produces, including commodities and various derivatives (butter, concentrated butter, cheese, milk powder, whey powder, casein, etc.);
- on the other hand, it shows the overall exports of processed products - due to surplus production in relation to the population.
Home to a major exports cooperative, the Fonterra Cooperative Group, New Zealand is able to trade its dairy products on the international market.
| NEW ZEALAND: DAIRY SECTOR | ||||||||||
| '000 Ton | ||||||||||
| RAW MATERIAL AREA | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| (Dairy Season)1) | (2022/23) | (2023/24) | (2024/25) | (2025/26) | ||||||
| Dairy cows ('000 head)1) | 4.675 | 4.702 | ||||||||
| ± % from previous dairy season | +0,6% | |||||||||
| Average litres per cow 1) | 4.428 | 4.369 | ||||||||
| ± % from previous dairy season | -1,3% | |||||||||
| Milk production (Source: DCANZ) | 21.051 | 21.247 | 21.531 | 21.929 | 4.250 | 4.409 | +3,7% | Jan-Feb 2026 | ||
| Milkfat (%) a) 1) | 4,90 | 4,99 | ||||||||
| Protein (%) a) 1) | 3,94 | 3,99 | ||||||||
| Farm-gate prices of raw milk (€ x 100 kg, VAT not included) m.g. 4.2%, prot. 3.4% |
42,75 | 33,39 | 36,47 | 38,40 | 41,39 | 36,70 | -11,3% | Jan-Feb 2026 | ||
| ± % Over the same period of the previous year | -21,9% | +9,2% | +5,3% | |||||||
$/Kg milksolids ** 1)
 |
8,76 | 8,90 | ||||||||
| DAIRY PRODUCTION | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Liquid milk (Source: FAS-USDA) | 535 | 535 | 535 | 535 | 535 | 535 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 | Cheese (Source: FAS-USDA) | 375 | 400 | 410 | 425 | 425 | 440 | +3,5% | Jan-Dec 2026 | Butter (Source: FAS-USDA) | 500 | 510 | 515 | 535 | 535 | 535 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 | SMP (Source: FAS-USDA) | 390 | 390 | 440 | 450 | 450 | 445 | -1,1% | Jan-Dec 2026 | WMP (Source: FAS-USDA) | 1.400 | 1.400 | 1.420 | 1.420 | 1.420 | 1.400 | -1,4% | Jan-Dec 2026 |
| EXPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Bulk and packed milk (HS 040110+040120) |
|
271 | 235 | 239 | 237 | 33 | 26 | -22,6% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150) |
|
156 | 173 | 186 | 213 | 35 | 45 | +28,6% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Yogurt e buttermilk (HS 0403) |
|
35 | 37 | 41 | 31 | 7,0 | 5,3 | -25,1% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Butter (HS 0405) |
|
451 | 472 | 429 | 470 | 88 | 88 | -0,1% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| of which: | ||||||||||
| Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590) |
|
191 | 200 | 170 | 185 | 31 | 32 | +2,1% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
340 | 374 | 374 | 415 | 77 | 77 | +1,0% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) |
|
1.328 | 1.366 | 1.373 | 1.328 | 275 | 278 | +1,2% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) |
|
357 | 451 | 441 | 409 | 103 | 87 | -15,8% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
83 | 90 | 118 | 119 | 19 | 22 | +14,3% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Casein (HS 350110) |
|
61 | 54 | 54 | 56 | 11 | 9,3 | -12,8% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Caseinates (HS 350190) |
|
32 | 30 | 32 | 36 | 6,4 | 4,9 | -23,1% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
28 | 28 | 25 | 31 | 5,0 | 4,5 | -10,6% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Infant milk formula (HS 190110) |
|
91 | 80 | 96 | 96 | 17 | 12 | -30,5% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) |
|
59 | 55 | 46 | 52 | 12 | 13 | +11,8% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220) |
|
22 | 23 | 27 | 22 | 4,1 | 4,8 | +15,9% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| IMPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
12 | 11 | 9,0 | 9,9 | 0,8 | 2,0 | +154,4% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
99 | 89 | 101 | 103 | 18 | 18 | +1,4% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
10 | 14 | 9,4 | 11 | 1,4 | 2,2 | +57,9% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION (Source: FAS-USDA) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Cheese | 39 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 | Butter | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 | SMP | 15 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 | WMP | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 0,0% | Jan-Dec 2026 |
| PER CAPITA CONSUMPTIONS (kg) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Cheese | 7,60 | 7,73 | 7,67 | |||||||
| Butter | 6,24 | 6,19 | 6,14 | |||||||
| SMP | 2,92 | 2,32 | 1,92 | |||||||
| WMP | 3,51 | 3,48 | 3,45 | |||||||
| SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Population ('000) | 5.132 | 5.173 | 5.214 | |||||||
| GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) | 47.208 (e) | 48.827 (e) | ||||||||
| GDP per capita (€) * | 44.830(e) | 45.156(e) | ||||||||
NOTE
1) Dairy Season: June 1st - May 31th
a) Average excludes Northland, Taranaki and Wellington/Hawkes Bay
(f): forecast
** Average Dairy Company total payout. From 2009/10 average dairy co-operative payout is from Fonterra, Tatua, and Westland. This includes Fonterra dividend payments.
- Per capita consumptions are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA ) by the population (Source FAO)
(e): estimated
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
Source:
Raw material area: Milk production: Dcanz; Number of cows, Average litres per cow, milksolids, milkfat and protein: Lic; Farm-gate milk prices: LTO NEDERLAND
Dairy production: FAS-USDA
Import/Export: Stat.nz
Consumption: FAS-USDA
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: FAO
Last update: 10-03-2026
1) Dairy Season: June 1st - May 31th
a) Average excludes Northland, Taranaki and Wellington/Hawkes Bay
(f): forecast
** Average Dairy Company total payout. From 2009/10 average dairy co-operative payout is from Fonterra, Tatua, and Westland. This includes Fonterra dividend payments.
- Per capita consumptions are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA ) by the population (Source FAO)
(e): estimated
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
Source:
Raw material area: Milk production: Dcanz; Number of cows, Average litres per cow, milksolids, milkfat and protein: Lic
; Farm-gate milk prices: LTO NEDERLAND
Dairy production: FAS-USDA
Import/Export: Stat.nz
Consumption: FAS-USDA
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: FAO
Last update: 10-03-2026
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